Damaged Goods

I am a complete wreck! I will say here that in no way am I looking for sympathy, I'm just posting....

Saturday after the ballet, my back went out, and left me flat on it. A bit of background: in 1990 (that is so long ago!) I was driving my brand new Toyota Corolla, that I had made two payments on, to go have lunch with my friend Connie at her place of employment. I exited the freeway and was driving down an eight lane street (four lanes in each direction). As I entered the intersection with a green light, I was suddenly smashing into the side of a white car. I had no idea where the white car had come from but immediately after I got out of my now totalled Toyota Corolla that I had only made two payments on (no, I'm not bitter!), three people rushed to me and told me that they had seen everything and told me what happened.

The white car was coming down the street in the opposite direction of me (towards me) and was in his right hand turn lane then suddenly made a sweeping left turn across his three lanes of traffic and two of the lanes going my direction when he came in contact with me. Totally not my fault at all.

Long story short: One of them were taken away in an ambulance, I was picked up by Connie and taken home (don't remember if we had lunch!), my car was towed to a scrap yard where it was pronounced DOA. I suffered lower back soft tissue damage and worked with a chiropractor for a while, but since then have had the pleasure of frequent back problems.

So about once a year I get a really bad spell where I am flat out for a couple days or so. I have been lucky in years past where it is while Geoff is in town or on vacation, or I can be laid up for the weekend and back to "work" by Monday. Not so this time.

It started on Saturday before the ballet and gradually go worse to where by Saturday night, I couldn't stand. Sunday I was in bed and completely useless the entire day. Geoff left Sunday night for the west coast, so I had to get better. Lots of times I can "muscle my way through" and will myself better. Not so this time! The muscles on the left side of my mid and upper back were so tight and cramped that I was leaning to the left with my left hip jetting out, and my right shoulder higher and angling to the back. It is an awesome sight to behold. I am damaged goods, to put it simply.

So, I cried a little bit when Geoff left and slowly and carefully sank to my knees to plead for a miraculous recovery by morning so that I could take care of the kids during their Easter Vacation. Christian woke himself up coughing in the middle of the night (he has a cold), so I somehow climbed up the stairs and heaved him out of his crib and up onto my shoulder to ease the weight on my back. I went downstairs, got him a bottle and fed him. He finished most of the bottle, then had another coughing fit wherein said bottle contents came spewing back up all over the both of us.

I got us cleaned and changed. Got on my knees and set up the pack and play in my closet and put him in it to sleep. I couldn't bend down enough to put him in, so I put him as far down as I could and he just kind of plopped the rest of the way down (not far at all -- totally on the up and up... no need to call authorities.) Then we both went back to sleep.

Monday morning: My miracle had not occurred. I'm fine with that, I don't doubt. I just figured there were still things I could do for myself to make it better. I called the doctor as soon as they opened and got in fairly early. He prescribed a muscle relaxer and a pain med. I took that. Still crooked and in pain. Then I called a chiropractor. They got me in right away and took X-rays, and did some electrolysis treatments and that felt great for a while. I could stand up straight. That wore off and I eventually got crooked again. When I got home from the chiropractor, Maren said: "Still crooked after all day at the doctors?" Yep!

So, Christian and I had the same routine last night as the night before - spit up and all, but I was more able to function. And I will go back to the chiropractor tomorrow for more treatment and an adjustment. The pills are kicking in a little better, and Christian's cold is gradually getting better.

I have to say that my kids are hero's! They totally step up when needed. Eric and Logan have been hauling Christian up and down the stairs, they and Maren have been picking him up and taking care of him constantly. Even Samy is a good babysitter for a little while. They are all Rock Stars! It's getting better. We're going to make it. I love when we are all able to pitch in and rally as a great team together.

Anyway, it's all making for one very "fun" Spring Break! Woo-hoo!

Today we were able to get out and I could sit in the theater to see "Horton Hears A Who". Very cute movie. My friend and I laughed out loud several times. Normally Jim Carrey bugs me with his over dramatizing, but he was tame and did a good job. (Maybe it's because I was looking at an elephant and not Jim exactly!)

So there you go: Happy Stinking St. Patrick's Day and Spring Break! I'm just laughing about all of it, because when you step back and take a look, it really is quite the comedy...